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Secretary

Department of Justice
Justice, Bureau of Prisons/Federal Prison System

Summary

Corrections professionals who foster a humane and secure environment and ensure public safety by preparing individuals for successful reentry into our communities.

Our highly-skilled, diverse, and innovative workforce creates a strong foundation of safety and security. Through the principles of humanity and normalcy, we develop good neighbors.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
10/18/2024 to 09/30/2025
Salary
$40,000 to - $58,000 per year

The salary range for this announcement reflects Rest of US GS-05/01 @ $40,000 to highest GS-06/10 San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA @ $58,000.

Pay scale & grade
GL 05 - 06
Locations
Annapolis Junction, MD
MANY vacancies
Prisons - Nationwide
MANY vacancies
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Training may be required for training and/or work related issues.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
06
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
Yes
Announcement number
BOP-N-2025-0071
Control number
3294254000

Duties

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Handles routine inquiries from both staff and inmates, providing technical assistance and answering questions regarding the general nature of correctional programs.

Screens telephone calls or personal contact with staff/inmates, utilizing own judgment in directing the caller to the most qualified staff member.

Maintains Bureau of Prisons Program Statements, Operations Memoranda, administrative and regulatory requirements, correspondence files and records in the operation of the office.

Responsible for the preparation of draft and/or final form of material such as, memoranda, letters, reports, requests, etc., as assigned.

Performs a variety of administrative support duties, such as taking and transcribing meeting minutes, copying and filing and appropriate disposal of sensitive documents.

Along with all other correctional institution employees, incumbent is charged with responsibility for maintaining security of the institution. The staff correctional responsibilities precede all others required by this position and is performed on a regular and recurring basis.

As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U. S. Citizenship is Required.
  • See Special Conditions of Employment Section.
  • Selective Service Requirement: Go to http://www.sss.gov

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP). The ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1)this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified category using established category rating criteria. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Additional information about ICTAP eligibility is at: Click Here

The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Department of Justice component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified category using established category rating criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at: Click Here

Qualifications

To be considered for the position, you must meet the following qualification requirements:

Education:

GL-05: Successfully completed 4 years of education above the high school level in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite is creditable at the GL-05. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial, or technical school.

GL-06: As a general rule, education is not creditable above GL-05 for most positions covered by this standard; however, graduate education may be credited in those few instances where the graduate education is directly related to the work of the position.

OR

Experience:

GL-05 and GL-06: You must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade level in federal service. To be creditable, this experience must have equipped the applicant with the particular qualifications to perform successfully the duties of the position, and must typically be in or related to the position to be filled.

Some examples of this qualifying experience are:

GL-05:

  • Experience preparing, receiving, reviewing and verifying documents.
  • Experience processing transactions and maintaining office records.
  • Experience locating and compiling data or information from files and other data sources.

GL-06:

  • Experience receiving telephone calls and visitors, handling requests for information, processing incoming and outgoing materials such as correspondence, reports and memoranda.
  • Experience editing and composing letters and reports, transcribing notes, and reviewing correspondence.
  • Experience performing office automation duties using a personal computer, preparing a calendar, worksheets, typing a variety of documents such as letters, forms, schedules, meeting minutes, and maintaining computer files.
  • Experience scheduling and maintaining appointments, coordinating meetings and conferences, making travel arrangements, and performing time and attendance functions.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience:

GL-05 only: Have a combination of education and experience. This experience must have equipped you with the qualifications to perform the major duties of this position as described above. Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours (i.e., beyond the second year) is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. One full academic year of study (30 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience.

If applicable, credit will be given for paid and unpaid experience. To receive proper credit, you must show the actual time (such as the number of hours worked per week) spent in activities.

**Your eligibility for consideration will be based on your responses to the questions in the application.**

Education

See Qualifications Section for education requirements, if applicable.

ONLY if education is a requirement/substitution for specialized experience, applicant MUST upload legible transcripts as verification of educational requirement. Transcripts MUST be uploaded and electronically linked from USAJOBS at the time you apply and MUST include identifying information to include School Name, Student Name, Degree and Date Awarded (if applicable). All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, Click Here.

Foreign Education: For information regarding foreign education requirements, please see Foreign Diploma and Credit Recognition at the U.S. Department of Education website: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications

If you are selected for this position and qualified based on education (i.e. basic education requirement and/or substitution of education), you will be required to provide an OFFICIAL transcript prior to your first day on duty.

Additional information

AGE REQUIREMENTS:

In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 3307, a maximum entry age of 36 has been established for initial appointment to a position in a Bureau of Prisons institution. If you are above the maximum entry age and have prior federal law enforcement coverage, you MUST submit an SF-50 to verify prior coverage.

Qualified Preference Eligible Veterans may be exempt from meeting the maximum age.  Refer to the Required Documents Section for the appropriate documentation to submit to validate veteran eligibility.

LENGTH OF ELIGIBILITY: Eligible applicants will remain on the inventory until the closing date of the announcement. 

NOTE: This announcement is posted on a yearly cycle.  The announcement will EXPIRE on the listed closing date at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. In order to receive consideration for the next cycle, applicants MUST reapply to the new vacancy announcement.

SALARY RANGE: The salary range for this announcement reflects Rest of US GS-05/01 @ $40,000to highest GS-06/10 San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA @ $58,000.  See current pay scales for locality area for which you are applying at www.opm.gov and search pay tables.

Special Conditions of Employment Section:

Appointment is subject to satisfactory completion of a pre-employment and panel interview, urinalysis, physical, and background investigation.  

All applicants are subject to, and must satisfactorily pass all screening requirements in relation to National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and credit check.

All applicants not currently working in an institution will be required to complete a qualification inquiry regarding convictions of misdemeanor of domestic violence in order to be authorized to carry a firearm.

The Core Value Assessment (CVA) is an in-person assessment that must be facilitated at a Bureau of Prisons Human Resource Servicing office.  On the day of the scheduled interview, a CVA will be administered.  The applicant assessment must be completed within a 70 minute time period and a passing score of 68 must be obtained.  Further employment consideration will not be extended if the applicant fails to complete the examination or fails to achieve a passing score.  Note: The Core Value Assessment will not be administered to current BOP employees.

Successful completion of the "Introduction to Correctional Techniques," three-week training course at Glynco, Georgia is required.

Additional selections may be made if vacancies occur within the life of the certificate.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your application will be evaluated and rated under DOJ's Category Rating and Selection Procedures. Based upon your self-reported responses to the assessment questions during the application process, your application will be placed into one of three categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Qualified. Applications will be reviewed from the top quality category. Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed in this announcement. If you are found qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to the responses you provided on the online assessment questionnaire.

NOTE: Candidates within the top quality category and who are eligible for veterans preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligible.

If you are entitled to veterans preference, you should indicate the type of veterans preference you are claiming on your resume. Although veterans preference points are not assigned under the category rating procedures described under "How You Will Be Evaluated", veterans preference eligibles are listed ahead of non-veterans within each category for which they are qualified.

In addition, qualified veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more are placed at the top of the highest qualified category as defined by category rating procedures.

What Competencies/Knowledge, Skills and Abilities are Required for this Position?

The following Competencies/Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA's) are required:

GL-05 and GL-06:

  • Ability to communicate orally.
  • Ability to communicate in writing.
  • Ability to organize the workflow of clerical and administrative support functions.
  • Ability to work with data on a computer.

You may preview questions for this vacancy.

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